Fragile Hearts
by JungJaco
Summary: Tsukune Aono has finally chosen the girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with. They have all waited so long for an answer and today he has decided to tell them.


I do not own Rosario + Vampire

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Fragile Hearts

It was another dreary day at Youkai Academy. Dead trees and tombstones littered the grounds. The weather was always the same inside of the barrier. In an Academy full of monsters today was a relatively peaceful day. Tsukune Aono awoke up with only one thing on his mind. He had to make a decision. Graduation was coming up and he had to decide on which one of his most loved friends he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. They were all expecting some sort of answer and he had spent every waking moment for the past few months trying to figure out an answer for all of them. There was no way that he was going to forgive himself of what he was about to do.. He had made a decision and all of them would be hurt greatly by it. Even the girl he was going to choose would loose all of her friends. Friends that had gone through hell and back for each other. That had protected each other and loved each other. They were a family, but they all knew that one day it would all come to an end. There was only one person in all of their hearts, and there could only be one person in his heart. They all have waited patiently. Every single one of them wanting to post-pone the inevitable, so they could all continue living happily as a family. No one wanted their heart broken, but they all knew he had to choose.

The fantasy that they lived in could only last for so long. They all knew that Tsukune has spent the last few months trying to decide, and they all knew that their time together was coming to an end. Some days Tsukune would hardly say a word and other days he would be the most lively of all of them. It did not take long for them to figure it out when he started spending time with each of them alone. Tsukune Aono was going to make a choice and he was going to do it today. He had woken up early to give himself more time to think as he got ready for school.

After all of those months he finally had his answer. He knew which girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The same girl that was currently on his mind. The one girl he had seen everyday on his way to school. The same girl he had been friends with since the first day he arrived at Youkai Academy. The girl that had given him a reason to stay in a place full of monsters and the reason he had made so many great friends. Eventually she was even the one who had given him the strength to protect all of those friends. He loved her. He love both halves of her. Tsukune Aono loved Moka Akashia.

That did not mean that he did not love Kurumu, Mizore or even Rubi, but he had decided on Moka. Now that he had made his choice, it was time to tell them. It would break their hearts and he wasn't sure if they would ever recover. He hated himself for that and was not sure if he would be able to recover from it either. Though he knew he had to choose and today was the day he was going to tell them.

He was out of his dorm room earlier than usual and waited patiently for the girls in their usual spot. He could already feel the heavy weight on his heart. Every second that passed seemed to last hours. The sun seemed to be shinning down hotter than usual. Even trying to breath seemed like a laborious task as his anxiety and fear compounded on him. Then one single voice freed him from his self-imprisoning state.

"Tsukune!" Moka Akashiya called out to him happily.

Joy filled his heart and all he could do was smile like a fool as she ran up to him.

"Good morning Moka!" he said as he waved to her.

"Morning Tsukune!" Moka said and latched herself onto his arm.

It felt good to be able to have her so close. He would never want to be separated from her. He loved her smile and how caring she always was. He would do anything for her.

"Tsukune? Can I have some of your blood?" Moka asked cutely and the way she looked at him made it impossible for him to say no.

"Of course Moka." he said and lowered his collar.

She jumped up eagerly and bit down on his neck. Moka hummed in delight and he let her have as much as she wanted. When she was done she licked the wound closed and was still unable to keep herself from blushing even though he had let her suck his blood countless times before.

"Thank you Tsukune! It was delicious!" Moka said cheerily.

Before he could even respond the world around him went black. It did not take him longer than a second to figure out what happened. Kurumu Kurono had latched herself onto Tsukune and pulled his head into her lovely breasts. Even with the lack of oxygen he had come to love the sensation as much as he enjoyed giving Moka his blood. It was just so warm and inviting. He could hear the beating of her heart and he suspected that is what she wanted him to hear all along. Tsukune Aono knew without a doubt that she loved him, but so did the others. It was incredibly sad that this would be the last time he could be this close to her heart. He knew it was incredibly selfish, but when Kurumu tried to remove herself he would not let her. Tsukune held her tightly for just a few more seconds before he put her back on the ground. He masked his sadness behind his smile. Kurumu was obviously blushing. He had never held on to her like that, as if he was afraid to let go.

"Good morning Kurumu!" he said happily.

"Good morning Tsukune!" Kurumu said just as energetic as ever.

She was still slightly confused and was not sure if she wanted to understand what the meaning of the few extra seconds he held onto her was about. Even Moka had noticed as she glanced between the two of them. The both eventually smiled at him and started walking down the path. They did not go far when they noticed Tsukune was not following them. He was looking off to the side of the path.

"Tsukune?" Moka asked worriedly.

"I'll be right back." he said with a smile and disappeared within the trees.

Kurumu and Moka both shrugged as they watched him go. Tsukune did not know exactly where he was going but he knew who he was looking for. He only hoped he would be able to find her. Tsukune looked in every tree and behind every rock until he found her. Mizore Shirayuki was walking lazily down her own path that ran alongside of the regular one. Tsukune Aono took the opportunity to sneak up on her. Something that even Mizore had thought was impossible. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and she let out a startled yelp letting him know he had successfully surprised her. It would be the first and last time he would ever be able to do so.

"Good morning Mizore." Tsukune said as he held her gently.

"Good morning Tsukune." Mizore said as she visibly relaxed into his arms.

It was another selfish act that would probably hurt her that much more, but it was just something that he had to do. Tsukune held on to her just as tightly as Mizore was holding onto his arms. She rested her head in the crook of his arm.

"Will you walk to school with us. . .with me? Just for today?" Tsukune asked trying to keep his voice even.

Mizore opened her eyes and suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotions. Something had happened with Tsukune and she was afraid to know what. She was not sure if she should be happy, sad or scared at the way Tsukune was acting.

"O-okay." Mizore said shakily.

He took her by the hand, surprising her even more, and led her to the others. Mizore could not hide her blush as he was still holding her hand when they appeared in front of the other two. Which did not go unnoticed by the other two. No one said a word as they approached and Kurumu, Moka and Mizore kept their eyes averted from each other. When they joined the others Tsukune reluctantly let go of Mizore's hand.

"Alright, we should get going before we are late for school." Tsukune said scratching the back of his neck.

The others finally looked at him and silently nodded. They all made their way down the well traveled path to school. No one said anything, but just enjoyed each others prescience. As they neared the school the crowd of students began to get thicker. In front of the gates as usual Rubi Tojo was sweeping the leaves off of the path. Rubi saw them approach and waved to them.

"Good morning Tsukune!" Rubi said smiling at him.

"Good morning Rubi!" Tsukune said, and took hold of her hand.

"As beautiful as always." he said and kissed the top of her hand.

Rubi turned scarlet when he let go of her hand. She remained speechless as did the others.

"Well, time to go to class." he said and waved goodbye to Rubi.

Tsukune had to visibly stop himself from clutching at the pain in his heart. All he wanted was one more day. To give them something a little extra before he ripped their hearts out. Every breath he took only made it harder and he began doubting every step he took. Every heartbeat shook his body and his eyes stung, unable to shed tears. No matter how much it hurt he would not let it show. He would not let the others see his pain. They did not follow him as he went to class.

"He seems so. . ." Rubi said still glowing from the kiss.

"Sad?" Mizore said, still able to feel his warm around her.

"He is so good at hiding it. He almost had me fooled." Kurumu said, remembering the strong arms that held her.

"I. . .I think he has made his decision." Moka said quietly, the taste of his blood still fresh on her lips.

"Well it's about time." Ura said from within the rosary.

Omote could tell she was just as scared as she was, but did not say anything to her prideful other half. No one else said another word as they left the group one by one. They entered the classroom one at a time but Tsukune kept his gaze out of the window. As usual he was staring at nothing. Always deep in thought and today his mind was in constant turmoil. His hand would have been shaking if he was not twirling a pencil through his fingers. It was all he could do to keep his anxiety from building. All he could think about was how much pain he was going to put them through. Kurumu, Mizore, and even Rubi would suffer terribly because of his indecisiveness. He knew what he was about to do and nothing was going to stop him. They wanted an answer and he had made his choice.

There was an awful burning sensation in his gut and an impossibly heavy weight on his chest. His eyes stung terribly and his whole body was shaking. He just wanted to run away, he never wanted to hurt any of them. It was just too painful to even think about. He could almost envision their pain, feel their tears as his own and he could only watch helplessly as their hearts withered away in despair.

SNAP

Everything he had been thinking about came to an abrupt halt. The room had gone completely quiet. Tsukune put down the broken pieces of the pencil and stole a glance at the rest of the class. Most of them were studying quietly for the finals and only gave him an annoyed glance. The ones he feared to even lay eyes on were solely fixated on him. He could feel their gazes burning into the back of his head.

Tsukune could feel Kurumu trying to reach out for him, he knew she was crying softly and that she did not care if others saw. He knew that Mizore wanted to run away with him and hide him away from the world, just the two of them. Tsukune could tell that both Mokas were having an argument on how best to help him, and knew that she was trying her best to hide her own tears. None of them were blind, they knew the pain that they were causing him and it affected them just as much. All they could do was wait, wait until he made his decision.

His heart was made up, even if he did not like it. Moka was always the first one on his mind. She was the one that was always occupying his mind. He tried to be fair to the others but he could not help but constantly be enraptured by Moka. He would be lying if he said he did not love the others, but Moka was the one who had captured his heart. Tsukune only wished that he had realized this a long time ago so he could have saved the others from their anguish.

The day continued on slowly, none of them hardly said a word. Even during lunch they sat in silence. The longer he withheld the truth the more it began to burn inside of him. Every time he glanced at any one of them a sharp pain would shoot through his heart. After their classes were over they all gathered in the club room. None of the other members were present since the had already released the last issue of the year.

Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu and Mizore reminisced about the fond memories they used to have in the club room. Moka, Kurumu and Mizore did most of the talking. Tsukune only smiled and only commented every now and then. The memories brought smiles to all of their faces and the room grew quiet. The minutes dragged on and Tsukune occupied himself with his old folder he kept all of his notes in. He had notes all the way back to his first year. So much had changed, even his handwriting had changed since then. It actually began to resemble Moka's own hand writing, he had definitely stared at enough of her notes to know.

He flipped through the notebook to the very last page. The only page that was still blank. Without much thought, he ripped out the page and then ripped it into four pieces. The girls watched him closely, to afraid to say anything. He wrote on each piece of paper, folded it up and then wrote a name on each piece, Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and Rubi. He did not know any other way, one way or another, everyone will have their answer tonight. He stood up from his desk and left the room, leaving the four pieces of paper behind.

Moka, Kurumu and Mizore all stared at the pieces of paper. None of them said anything and none of them moved a muscle. The minutes ticked on and suddenly Kurumu stood up from her seat. Mizore and Moka watched her as she went over and plucked the piece of paper off the desk with her name on it. They held their breath as they watched Kurumu unfold the piece of paper. Kurumu took a deep breath and glanced the clock on the wall. She grabbed her stuff and left the room with the note clutched tightly in her hand. Mizore was the next one to retrieve her note. She glanced it over and proceeded out the door after Kurumu. Moka remained in her chair a while longer almost shaking in fear.

"Well are you going to read it?" Inner Moka asked.

Moka nodded and stood shakily to her feet. She reached for the paper and unfolded it.

ROOFTOP 8:00 P.M.

That is all it said on the piece of paper, but the meaning was clear enough. The others must of had similar directions. It was only five o'clock now. Moka gathered up her things and headed towards her dorm room. Rubi happened to be walking down the hall just as Moka exited the room in front of her.

"Hey Moka." she called out but she kept on walking.

Rubi shrugged and strolled into the club room. She smiled at all of the fond memories that came to her. She was running her fingers across the teachers desk when she saw the note on the table. She snatched it up and was surprised to see her name on it.

FOREST 8:00 P.M.

She took in a sharp breath and a flood of emotions rushed through her. She lingered for a moment longer before she too exited the club room.

[~][~][~]

BUS STOP 8:00 P.M.

Only minutes after she had read the note did she arrive at the bus stop. She floated down from the sky and landed next to the cliffs. The breeze from the sea was chilly, but she would not leave to fetch warmer clothing. She would wait, until the end of time if she had too.

"Please Tsukune, please." she kept whispering under breath.

Her heart ached with every second that passed by. She knew she was hours early but she was afraid. She was scared he would not come. She was pacing back and fourth and kept glancing down the path. It seamed almost an eternity before the sun began to kiss the horizon. It was a beautiful sunset that helped calm her down. Now Kurumu had wished she had brought a watch. Kurumu was staring at the last rays of sunlight when she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She felt the overwhelming rush of power that she knew all to well, and she knew only one person could have released it. She spun on her heals in the direction of the powerful youki. Her tears started to fall slowly and she fell to her knees. She cried openly into her hands until she could cry no more. It just hurt too much, and she could not convince herself that this was just some horrible nightmare. It felt that her life was slipping away and that there was nothing she could do about it.

[~][~][~]

POND 8:00 P.M.

Mizore did not head directly to the pond, there was only one person she wanted to see. She searched everywhere for Tsukune. She ran down every hallway and checked every room. She checked the gym and the swimming pool. She even checked the faculty lounge and the headmasters office. The longer she searched the faster she ran. Every second that she could not see his face a tear fell from hers. Mizore even checked his room but he was nowhere to be found.

She eventually ceased her search when she had reached the pond. She sat next to the water, holding her knees up to her chest and waited for him. She remembered when she had first fell in love with him and how he had misunderstood her. Now she knew that their bond had become so much stronger. She could not think of any future without him and did not want too. She stared into the center of the pond as every fond memory of Tsukune played through her mind. Then in a fraction of a second all of her hopes and dreams shattered and she was sure her heart had as well. When she felt the surge of youki hit her, she immediately reacted, freezing everything around her.

"No. . .no. . .NOOOO!" Mizore screamed as pillars of ice exploded around her.

[~][~][~]

Rubi walked through the forest. Her directions where not specific but she knew he could find her. She loved the nature, but she loved Tsukune even more. He was so kind and gentle and she knew that he genuinely cared for her. Wether or not she was the one in his heart she could not tell. She had always hoped and supposed she had just as much of a chance as the others. The days she had spent alone with him were some of the best days she had ever had. She did not even want to imagine where she would be, or even what kind of person she would be if she had not met Tsukune. She had such dreams and fantasies with a life with Tsukune.

She twirled and danced through the trees. Rubi was laughing merrily to herself as she imagined a beautiful life together with Tsukune. Then in one final stroke she knew that her dreams would only be dreams. She was frozen immediately when she felt her surge of power and the clear meaning behind it. It hurt more than she thought it ever would. The tears rained down her cheeks and her body began to shake. She looked up into the stars unable to even utter even a sound. Her wings sprouted from her back and she was soon flying far away. As far away as she could to escape the pain.

[~][~][~]

Moka soon reached her room and changed out of her school clothes and into a simple dress that she knew Tsukune liked. Every five minutes Inner Moka would ask her what time it was, while Outter Moka had spent at least thirty minutes fidgeting with ever aspect of herself in the mirror.

"Will you stop fidgeting with you hair! You look fine!" Inner Moka said irritably from inside the rosary.

"Well stop asking me for the time!" Outer Moka replied a little forceful.

"Well I can't help it!" Inner Moka retorted.

Suddenly Moka's legs began to feel shaky and she fell to her knees. She started to cry with one hand still grasping the edge of counter while she cried in the other. She was just so overwhelmed and she did not know what to do. Everything was about to change. All she wanted was for Tsukune to choose her. The two of them wanted to have Tsukune all to themselves and spend the rest of their life together with him. Inner Moka let her cry for a bit before she tried to console her.

"Come on Moka. There is no need to cry yet." Inner Moka said as softly as she could.

She was not even she she could hide her own emotions much longer. Outer Moka's crying reduced to quite sobs. When she finally calmed down she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Come on. You are going to have to redo your hair now." Inner Moka said to her.

"O-okay." Outer Moka said quietly and slowly stood back up.

The two of them remained silent as she combed her hair again. It did not take her long and Inner Moka gave her approval. They still had little over an hour. Moka grabbed her slim watch and made sure the time was right. She glanced out her window and towards Tsukune's window but his curtains had been closed. Moka then made her way back to the school and to the rooftop.

She leaned against the railing and watched the sunset while she waited. She would check her watch every now and then as the minutes counted down. At five minutes to eight she looked around but he was not there. She stared at her watch until she was sure it was broken. The sun was setting and each second on the watch dragged on forever. When there was only three seconds until eight o'clock she closed her eyes. She kept them closed as tightly as she could and prayed Tsukune would choose her.

Eventually she had to reopen her eyes again. When she glanced down at her watch it was a minute past eight o'clock.

"He didn't come. . ." Moka said quietly on the verge of tears.

She quickly turned from the railing to run from the rooftop, only to see Tsukune standing there by the door of the stairs. Her heart stopped in her chest and the glow of the sunset began to fade away. Tsukune stared into her emerald eyes with a slight smile on his face. Moka looked absolutely beautiful.

"Hi." was all Tsukune could manage to say.

"Hi." both Inner and Outer Moka said together.

"Moka. . .there is something I want to tell you." Tsukune said as he stepped forward.

Fear and hope coursed through Moka. She was paralyzed, she could not even tear her gaze away from him. He was so close now. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she was afraid that none of this was real.

"Moka. . ." Tsukune said taking her breath away.

"You have been my friend for a long time and you have helped me so much. You are so beautiful it is hard to look away. You make me smile every time you do that cute face when you want to suck my blood. Or that confident smirk you do when you would protecting me." Tsukune told Moka as they hung on every word he said.

"I can't stop thinking about you and when I am around you I am the happiest person on Earth. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." he told her.

"Oh Tsukune!" Moka cried happily as pure joy swelled through her.

"Moka. . .I love you." Tsukune told her as he pulled her into his arms.

He tilted his head and kissed her on her delicate lips.

"I-I love you too!" Moka cried happily and kissed him back.

He poured his love into every touch as he held her head gently and she readily accepted it. Tsukune's other hand grasped the rosary that hung from her choker and gave it a slight tug. He kissed her again before he pulled back. Inner Moka could only stare at him still being held in his arms.

"I love you Moka." he said again.

"I love you." Moka said and grabbed his head with both her hands and pulled him into a kiss.

She had never known such joy in her life and did not think it was possible to be this happy.

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Just a short story I thought I should post since I haven't been able to post anything lately. I do not really do short stories but I hope you all enjoyed it. As always thank you for reading and please review. I will do my best to update my other stories as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience and sorry for my absence.


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